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The five glam hosts of a daytime chat show, The Lunch Hour, led by Maxine (Vanessa Williams), are browsing a gifting suite. Nina (Camille Guaty), the principled journalist one, fondles a jewelled handbag, then puts it down for a second. A hand reaches for it — it’s Star Jones, former host of The View, playing herself.

“Hi, Star Jones,” Nina says. “I’m sorry, but that was my bag.”

“Was, past tense,” Jones says. “There are no laws in a gifting suite. I should know, I’m a lawyer.”

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They bicker through fake smiles. A gifting suite rep intervenes. “Ladies,” the rep says, “there are cameras everywhere. We don’t want a cat fight leaked to the press.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jones mutters.

The rep gives the bag to Nina. “You just pissed off me, Star Jones,” Jones purrs to Nina. “New York Times bestselling author. Beloved television personality. Fashion designer. Women’s advocate. And most of all, a friggin’ lawyer.”

This series is based the book Satan’s Sisters, Jones’ tell-all about her time on The View. If Veep is raw meat — a snake-beneath-the-smile, behind-the-scenes expose — this show is candy floss. It’s all drama, all the time: secret affairs, not-secret affairs, extortion, drug addiction, spousal abuse, transgender children. A gun shows up and, yes, goes off.

There’s hugging and learning, as well as stabs, like Jones’ cameo above, at campy, sudsy fun. But to me it’s a lost opportunity to dig into any truths about how women work together. We get plenty of outfits and outsized egos, but little insight.

Daytime Divas airs on http://www.bravo.ca/shows/DaytimeDivas BravoEND and is available on demand. Johanna Schneller is a media connoisseur who zeroes in on pop-culture moments. She usually appears Monday through Thursday.

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